As the Boston Celtics get their 2025-26 season going against the 76ers on Wednesday, it'll be without their No. 1 star, Jayson Tatum.
Tatum tore his Achilles tendon in a game against the Knicks last postseason, a brutal blow to not only the Celtics' chances the rest of the way that year, but also for the team's 2025-26 campaign as well due to the lengthy recovery timeline Tatum is now on.
Jayson Tatum injury timeline
Tatum is widely expected to miss the entirety of the 2025-26 season, as the standard timeline for recovery from an Achilles' injury is typically about a year. He's said to have consulted Kevin Durant, another major star who has suffered an Achilles' injury himself, on the recovery. Durant missed a full season.
Tatum did, however, share with 's Chris Mannix that he has not entirely ruled out a return during this season. But such an optimistic outcome would be fairly shocking, and Mannix later added that plenty of people in Tatum's circle hope he'll take the full year to recover.
"…Boston, which is gearing up for a run in the 2026–27 season, may see a trip to the lottery as more useful to the team’s long-term goals. The bet here is we don’t see Tatum in live action until next fall," Mannix wrote in a notebook late last month.
Barring a massive surprise and incredible recovery timeline, expect not to see Tatum on the court this season.
Celtics That Will Need to Step Up With Tatum Out
As Mannix alluded to in his notebook, a year-long pause for a team's A-1 superstar is not necessarily the worst thing for long-term roster construction in the NBA. Should the Celtics struggle this year, they could find themselves in the draft lottery with a chance at obtaining a favorable pick to pair with Tatum's presumed return in late '26.
Don't expect Boston to lie down coming into the year in pursuit of that objective, though. A fairly open Eastern Conference creates an opportunity to compete, even without Tatum. If they are to make a run at a playoff spot, the team will need contributions from several players to help backfill Tatum's impact. Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard all figure to remain key cogs in Boston's game plan.
That trio averaged 22.2, 16.4, and 14.3 points, respectively for Boston last season. They'll have to kick it into high gear to backfill Tatum's 26.8 points per game. In particular, Brown's role as a primary star will be an interesting one to watch as the year goes on, as he's been viewed as the second-best player for his tenure together with Tatum in Boston.
In addition to missing Tatum from injury, Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, who both contributed double-digit scoring per game last year, also departed via offseason trades.
This offseason, Boston's biggest moves were adding center Chris Boucher and big man Luka Garza in free agency. They also acquired Anfernee Simons in the trade that sent Holiday out. Simons is the only one of that trio who has been a reliable high-volume scorer throughout his career.
